Unit 14Text I

Water, Water Everywhere

Cultural Background Information

Water, Water Everywhere

This title is from a famous poem entitled “The rime of the Ancient Mariner”, by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the famous British poet and critic, about an old sailor who was compelled to tell strangers about the supernatural adventures that befell him at sea after he killed an albatross, a friendly sea bird.

A famous line is “Water, water, everywhere,/ Nor any drop to drink.” The speaker, the old sailor on a becalmed ship, is surrounded by salt water that he cannot drink. By extension, these lines are used to describe a situation in which someone is in the midst of plenty but cannot partake of it.

Main IdeaPilot Officer Peter Thwaites awoke in the midst of deep oblivion and found himself drifting in his life-jacket on the sea. He remembered the air crash about the noon the day before and was anxiously waiting for the rescue of the seaplane. As dawn was breaking, he felt increasingly thirsty, struggling against the mad compulsion to pull out the stopper of his life-jacket. In waning hopes, he waited in despair for the seaplanes sweeping the sea to spot him. Finally, a plane came to his quick rescue and his first words to the rescue team were “I’m a bit thirsty.”

Comments on the TextThis text is a narrative piece of writing which includes description in which the writer gives us a vivid and stirring account of how a pilot, after having crashed in the sea, was rescued by a seaplane. The description is woven into the fabric of the narration and enlivens the account. As a result, description and narration can hardly be separated.

Language PointsOblivion n. 被忘却；忘记，遗忘She made one startling good last recording and fell/sank into oblivion.This drug promises instant oblivion. (the state of being unconscious)Be buried in oblivion 被人遗忘Oblivious of/to sth.He was quite oblivious of/to the danger.

Void n. 空间，真空； adj. 空的，空虚的，无效的； vb. 使无效Before Einstein, space was regarded as a formless void. （无形的空间）They took to gardening to fill the void after their retirement.The contract has been declared void. (invalid)He’s completely void of charm.

辨析： empty, vacant, blank, voidEmpty “ 空的”，强调“没有内容”，其反义词是“ full” 。 Vacant “ 空缺的”，强调一个空间或位置未被占用，如： a vacant seat/room/place. Blank 是“空白的”，强调表面缺乏任何突出可见的特征， 如： a blank wall. Void “ 空虚的，空洞的”，强调人的心智或感官所能感受到的“空虚”，如： a void look.

辨析： fear, dread, horror, panic, terror, alarmFear: 是所以这些表示害怕或不安的词中最普通的一个，语气也最弱。如： She feared that the rain would damage her new shoes. Dread 是指在等待某些危险或可怕的事出现前所感到的 great fear. 如： Wealth didn’t bring happiness to the old man because he lived in constant dread of losing his property. Horror 和 terror 指极度的恐惧或厌恶，一种强烈的情绪波动。如： At the sight of the snake, she drew back in horror. They huddled in terror along the walls of the air-raid shelter. Horror 更强调恐怖带来的效果， terror 更强调危险所带来的结果。 Panic 强调那种混乱的歇斯底里的

恐慌。如： There was a great panic among the audience when gunshots were heard in the theatre. Alarm 是由于突如其来的威胁所带来的紧张和惊慌。 We all felt alarmed at the news that the enemy was bombarding the village.

Under the circumstances of 在 --- 情形下I wouldn’t have tome to start and finish the job under circumstances of my business trip next week. ( 由于下周要出差）In needy/reduced circumstances 拮据的境遇，穷困； in/under no circumstances 决不，无论如何也不

Spark vb. & n. 发出火花，导致；火花，火星Sparks were flying out of the bonfire and blowing everywhere.That small incident was the spark that set off the street riot.There wasn’t a spark of interest in child’s face.The speaker’s aim was to spark them into action.

Extricate vb. (get out, free)The unlucky hare found itself caught in the hunter’s trap, and it seemed impossible that it would be able to extricate itself.It took hours to extricate the car from the ditch.extricate sb. from difficulties /debt/crisis 使某人摆脱困境 / 债务 / 危机

Spot n. & vb.He wiped a spot of black paint off the door handle.If you spot any mistakes in the article just mark them with a pencil.

And his heart sank with---he lost hope or courage or any feeling of optimismThe children were excited because they were going the beach for a picnic the next day, but their hearts sank when it began to rain.When the enemy troops learnt that they had run out of ammunition and were surrounded by the guerrillas, their hearts sank.

Keep a sharp eye open for ---watch carefully forThey kept a sharp eye open for a petrol station as they drove on because the petrol was running short.When the hunters walked through the damp forest, they kept a sharp open for rattlesnakes.

In the spirit of 以 --- 精神（态度）We acted in the spirit of cooperation.They came to the meeting in a spirit of genuine reconciliation.Bravado n. 虚张声势，逞能 vb. 恐吓，虚张声势It was an act of bravado that made him ask the boss to resign.The mob bravadoed a while but never got really violent.

Grim adj.The judge’s expression was grim as he told them they were to be hanged. (causing fear or anxiety)The staff now face the grim prospect of redundancy.I’ve had a grim day. (unpleasant, not cheerful)

Compulsion n. 强制，难以抗拒的冲动Are we under any compulsion to sign the document? ( under any force) 我们必须 ---- 吗？He seemed to be driven by some kind of inner compulsion. (urge) 内心的冲动I seem to have a constant compulsion to eat.我似乎经常忍不住想吃东西。

Edge its way in ---move in gradually, get in bit by bitA crowd of people had surrounded the president, but the journalist succeeded in edging his way in and took some wonderful pictures.When there was a variety show in the village, she would always edge her way to the front and keep her eyes fixed on the acrobat.

Impulse n. ---a sudden urge or wish to sth.He bought the car on an impulse.The prime impulse of capitalism is the making of money. (reason or aim for doing sth.)

Strain n. & vb.The hurricane put such a strain on the bridge that it collapsed. 受力过大而坍塌She’s a lot better than she was but she’s still not ready to face the stresses and strains of the job. 紧张和压力。 Strain a muscle 肌肉拉伤Strain one’s eye/ears 努力去看 / 听Strain every nerve 竭尽全力Strain one’ wit 绞尽脑汁

Under one’s breath –in a low, quiet voice“let’s go!” She muttered under her breath.Catch one’s breath 歇口气Gasp for breath 呼吸困难，上气不接下气Hold/keep one’s breath 屏住呼吸Recover one’s breath 恢复呼吸Draw one’s first/last breath 出世 /断气

Text IIA Near Disaster in SpaceThe Apollo ProgramThe Apollo program was designed to land humans on the Moon and bring them safely back to earth. Six of the missions (Apollos 11,12,14,15,16 and 17)achieved this goal. Apollos 7 and 9 were Earth orbiting missions to test the Command and Lunar Modules, and did not return lunar data. Apollos 8 and 10 tested various components while orbiting the Moon, and returned photography of the lunar

surface. Apollo 13 did not land on the Moon due to a malfunction, but also returned photographs. The six missions that landed on the Moon returned a wealth of scientific data and almost 400 kilograms of lunar samples.

Main IdeaA successful space mission is the combined result of its interlinked systems. The failure of one of these systems might cause catastrophic consequences. In 1970 during the flight of Apollo 13, a breakdown in the service module was nearly fatal but for the ingenious use of its lunar module, which had the functions needed for the spacecraft’s reentry into the atmosphere of the earth.

TranslationThe safe return of the astronauts was due to their ingenuity and powers of improvisation.宇航员们能顺利返航归功于他们的智慧才智和应变能力。

Many people thought that the advanced technology of space flight ruled out all opportunities for makeshift repairs, but Apollo 13 proved them wrong.很多人认为太空飞行由于使用了先进的技术，因而没有进行紧急维修的必要，但是阿波罗 13号事件证明他们是错误的。